In the UK,the kit lens for the D40 is only the 18-55mm - you can't buy the body separately as far as I know, and I didn't see a D40 + 18-135mm combination anywhere. The kit lens is fine as long as you don't want more reach. Normally, the kit lenses don't add much to the price of the package.

"Yes, the lenses are a story apart, but if you would buy a camera, just the body, wich of this two would you buy?

And why Canon is much more sold than nikon?

My choice of the D40 over the XT was mainly because it felt better in my hands and the D40 with kit lens was better value compared to the XT + separate lens. The pricier Canon and Nikon cameras felt too big to me. The Canon has sold more because it was the firstbig sellerentry level DSLR and has gone through several product cycles.

Well ONLY if you are considering the D40 can us a HANDFULL of Nikon lenses (supposedly the real draw for C &amp; N... lens diversity).... where as the Pentax's can use vititually ANY Pentax lens ever made....OK the M42's require an adaptor.... but literally any K monbt lens.

And again C &amp; N have cjhnged several timesa because they want you to buy ONLY new vs adapting the old.

And 40D you are limitbng yourself to a handful vs the entire Nokon range inless you want to treat them manally.... D40 no camera body AF drive... MUST me lens based were as Pentax has gone entirely the oposite direction..... we will support every lens EVER made and even in the case of (particularly prime A's (still fully EVERY function AE just MF) and with the K100 and 10D rocket take off every increaingly nore expesive used.

And Nikon in the case of the D40 LINITING this as much as POSSIBLE..... on the other hand Pentax going whole hog the other way.....let them use ANYTHING we have ever made.

And again C &amp; N have cjhnged several timesa because they want you to buy ONLY new vs adapting the old.

That Pentax marketing campaign sure does have you brainwashed.

The D40 is an exception in the Nikon lineup. It's a very cheap DSLR for people who want to get into the Nikon system and don't have a whole lot of lenses. The lens selection is limited. That's a marketing decision, and for most people contemplating that camera lens selection is not a big issue. The selection available from Nikon is just fine, they will likely only be wanting a couple of cheap-ish lenses anyway. As to the rest of the Nikon lineup they have an excellent selection and can use their old MF lenses just fine. Zeiss is also producing an exceptional range of new MF lenses in Nikon mount. And of course 3rd party support from Tamron, Sigma, Tokina is very good.

As to Canon you really just need to get off your high-horse. Canon has made more lenses (over 100m) since they changed to the EF mount in 1987 than Pentax has since the company came into existence (around 80m).

If you want to use the older manual focus lenses that Canon made then you can via an adapter. Adapters are also available if you want to use some of the stunning Zeiss Contax lenses out there, and as no-one is much using Contax cameras anymore most of these lenses are finding their way to Canon bodies, there are also adapters that can use some of the older MF Nikkor lenses too.

The 3rd-party support (both new and used) for the Canon is larger than for Nikon and vastly larger than for Pentax.

London (and I presume most large cities around the world) have many camera shops that stock used lenses. When you look at the display case the largest selection is always for Canon, then Nikon, all the others are very hit-and-miss.

Pentax is at a disadvantage when it comes to lens selection. Is that a problem for most new users? No.

"Yes, the lenses are a story apart, but if you would buy a camera, just the body, wich of this two would you buy?

And why Canon is much more sold than nikon?

My choice of the D40 over the XT was mainly because it felt better in my hands and the D40 with kit lens was better value compared to the XT + separate lens. The pricier Canon and Nikon cameras felt too big to me. The Canon has sold more because it was the firstbig sellerentry level DSLR and has gone through several product cycles.

Well ONLY if you are considering the D40 can us a HANDFULL of Nikon lenses (supposedly the real draw for C &amp; N... lens diversity).... where as the Pentax's can use vititually ANY Pentax lens ever made....OK the M42's require an adaptor.... but literally any K monbt lens.

And again C &amp; N have cjhnged several timesa because they want you to buy ONLY new vs adapting the old.

And 40D you are limitbng yourself to a handful vs the entire Nokon range inless you want to treat them manally.... D40 no camera body AF drive... MUST me lens based were as Pentax has gone entirely the oposite direction..... we will support every lens EVER made and even in the case of (particularly prime A's (still fully EVERY function AE just MF) and with the K100 and 10D rocket take off every increaingly nore expesive used.

And Nikon in the case of the D40 LINITING this as much as POSSIBLE..... on the other hand Pentax going whole hog the other way.....let them use ANYTHING we have ever made.

(Vs Nikons how can we LIMIT this cheapo DSLR to our beeifit.?

Hayward,

You continue make your claim about your happy choice to be the best choice. The things you point out as an advantage is starting to vaporize. The older lenses are getting pricier and harder to come by.

Why? Because there aren't much to choose from Pentax itself. Third party has chosen to make fewer lenses available to Pentax users like myself. Your photography interests for what suits its purpose for you is not the same for everyone.

I have yet to see a post by you that backs up your claim as the K10D being superior to other cameras even in the Pentax line.

I went with another line you continually bash because it can do what my Pentax cameras can't including your beloved K10D. I was on the fence about getting it but for my interests it was better to get the second body of another make.

It would be nice to see some posts that backs up your boasting of this fine digicam which it is. It is just not the end all be all as you make it to be.

The other companies do fine with what they do and will continue to do well despite what you claim.

The cheapo D40 does very well and I actually posted shots contrary to your claims.

I have considered the same possibility, as I still have a few K-M lenses. However, like you, I am keeping both a Nikon Line (D-50, D-40, and D40X) anf the Canon (XT and 20D) alive already. Therefore, I am not sure that I want to start acquiring a third line of cameras and lenses.

"Well ONLY if you are considering the D40 can us a HANDFULL of Nikon lenses (supposedly the real draw for C &amp; N... lens diversity).... where as the Pentax's can use vititually ANY Pentax lens ever made....OK the M42's require an adaptor.... but literally any K monbt lens."

Hayward, you must have very big hands! There are 16 current Nikon lenses (AF-S designation), that will autofocus on the D40, including several good zoom lenses at reasonable prices. Oh, there's also 23 Sigma lenses with the HSM designation that will autofocus, including a low light prime, which is the only significant emission from Nikon. Even with your hands, you will need a sack for that lot.

Please excuse the sarcasm, but so many people "knock" the D40, but it is an excellent first DSLR due to its small size, good image quality with JPEGS, and simplified use, not to mention a low price.